The 2016 NASCAR season was a memorable one, with the major news coming from Jimmie Johnson winning a record-tying seventh Cup title, Tony Stewart saying farewell and a pesky little piece of metal that keeps tires on axles.

Before the 2017 season gets here -- the Daytona 500 is less than 100 days away -- let's look back at the season that was:

NASCAR announced Thursday it has agreed to a multi-year deal with Monster Energy to be the sport's top series' entitlement sponsor.

Terms of the agreement, which was announced at a news conference in Las Vegas, weren't revealed. NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France also said the name of the series -- perhaps it won't be called the Monster Cup? ...Read more

"This has been an ongoing issue with HScott Motorsports for some time," said Bowyer's attorney, Robert Muckenfuss, in a statement to the Observer. "We were forced to file the lawsuit after the season because no final payment...Read more

Jimmie Johnson won his record-tying seventh NASCAR championship Sunday with a familiar figure by his side -- crew chief Chad Knaus. The two have been together for each of Johnson's titles in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Chevy.

Knaus, who is one title shy of tying Dale Inman's NASCAR record of eight titles for a crew chief, talked about this ...Read more

The final race of Tony Stewart's storied NASCAR Cup career wasn't very memorable although he got a pretty cool souvenir.

Stewart may have finished 22nd after hanging at the back of the field for much of Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400, but he was in Victory Lane following the race celebrating with Jimmie Johnson -- who gave Stewart the helmet he ...Read more

From BookDaily.com

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Everything you need to know about Sunday's EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Three things to watch

--1. For all the twists and turns of the Chase, the championship round comes down to something simple: Whomever finishes first among Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano wins the Cup title.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson, standing on the doorstep of NASCAR history, doesn't dispute the impression that he hasn't received the respect and acceptance from fans that the two legendary drivers he's pursuing once did.

"Anybody who is winning gets booed," said Johnson, who as one of the Chase's championship four drivers, can tie Richard ...Read more

When a 5-year-old rebroadcast of the closest NASCAR championship finish in history appeared on TV earlier this week, Carl Edwards had to talk himself into watching. He was the loser, after all. The race was taut motorsports theater at its best. But still, he was the loser.

"Turns out it was good for me to relive those emotions because it got me...Read more

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Tony Stewart isn't giving much thought to his legacy this weekend. He's been too busy looking for his cell phone.

While walking around downtown Miami on Thursday night with his girlfriend, Stewart had his phone snatched from his pocket. So, instead of concentrating on the final race of his Sprint Cup career on Sunday in the ...Read more

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- There are certain races Carl Edwards thought he would rather forget. But earlier this week, Edwards found one staring right back at him from the television in his hotel room in New York.

Edwards was in New York promoting NASCAR's Chase championship round, of which he will be part Sunday, along with Joey Logano, Jimmie ...Read more

NASCAR has whittled the Chase for the Cup down to four drivers -- Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson and Team Penske's Joey Logano. They will face off Sunday in the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the driver who finishes highest among the four in the Ford EcoBoost ...Read more